


You Just Have To Believe

by katmarajade



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fairies, Fluff, Friendship, Luna Wisdom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-16 00:24:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1324828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katmarajade/pseuds/katmarajade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zacharias Smith wasn't quite sure when he and Luna Lovegood became  friends.  It happened so gradually that he sort of missed it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Just Have To Believe

Zacharias Smith wasn't quite sure when he and Luna Lovegood became friends. (He didn't have many these days, which was fine by him—the judgmental tossers). It happened so gradually that he sort of missed it. But there she was in his shop cheerfully explaining why he needed to come with her to Bonham Clearing that evening and bring candles. When he'd (rather rudely) asked why, she'd simply answered, "Because we're friends, of course." As if it were the simplest thing in the world. And though he'd rolled his eyes and muttered grouchily, they both knew that he'd be there.

Which was how he ended up sitting in the middle of a field, overlooking a frozen pond, and clutching a stubby candle that kept dripping wax onto his thumb. He was freezing, but Luna seemed oblivious to the cold as she clutched her own candle (which somehow didn't drip wax onto _her_ fingers) and gazed serenely out over the ice. Every so often she would glance at him and offer a dreamy smile. He tried to keep quiet as long as possible, because honestly it had been a long time since anyone had gone out of their way to spend time with him like this, and it was rather nice to be around Luna, actually. Finally he had to ask what exactly they were doing there.

"Watching for ice fairies, of course," she answered, blinking guilelessly at him. Everything was always _of course_ when it came to Luna, as if it shouldn't be at all surprising that she wanted to spend time with a social pariah or that her earrings were made out of radishes (the long, white, icicle-like ones today) or that they were sitting outdoors in an empty field watching for mythical creatures.

Zacharias pursed his lips, his urge to stay sitting with a friend fighting against his natural inclination to state the obvious. Finally, he couldn't refrain.

"Luna," he said sighing, trying to come up with a gentle way to tell her but ending up with just, "there is no such thing as ice fai…" his statement was abruptly cut off as a blue-mittened hand clapped across his mouth. Luna was leaning very close to him, her huge blue eyes shining like stars against a background of night sky.

"You must never say that," she said solemnly. "Don't you know that every time a person says that a fairy dies? Every child is told that, Zacharias."

Zacharias frowned but stayed silent.

"Not everyone can see ice fairies, you know," she continued. "They're a bit like thestrals that way, but instead of only being visible to those who have seen death, ice fairies only show themselves to those who are pure of heart."

"What does that even mean? We've lived through a war—I don't think that anyone is all that pure anymore. There's too much hate, too much regret, too much wrong, too much distrust."

Luna nodded seriously. "You're right. But that's just on the outside. Fairies see the inside and even a war can't change the _inside_ of your heart, Zacharias. It can make the outside hard and cold and crusted over, but it hasn't taken the good part out—just made it harder to reach."

Zacharias frowned but Luna's bright eyes were making him feel like maybe there was something truly good in the world, something good in _him_ if she was looking at him like this. Her warm breath on his face elicited a strange glowing heat in his chest, and for the first time all night he barely noticed his frozen bum or wax-burned thumb.

"You just have to believe," she whispered and leaned in a few inches more to press her lips softly to his. His eyes widened in shock, and, though her lips were cold, they seemed to send a wave of heat through him. For just a second, he felt _good_ , felt like he hadn't felt in years, felt wanted, felt whole. And for just a second he did believe.

He gasped, Luna's lips centimeters away curved in a peaceful smile, because there they were, just like she'd said. He understood now why she could stare out at this pond for hours in the cold, because it was aglow with a thousand tiny, sparkling lights, glowing and glittering and glorious.

"They're beautiful," he said, marveling at the sight.

"Of course," said Luna, resting her head on his shoulder as they took in the scene before them, alight with wintery wonder.  



End file.
